Doctor Stephen Strange has slowly become one of Marvel's most popular characters recently, mainly due to Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal in the MCU. Having mastered the mystic arts over the years, Stephen Strange has become an immensely powerful man, capable of incredible feats. Yet, his magic alone isn't enough for the public to recognize the ex-surgeon as the Sorcerer Supreme.
Doctor Strange is only Doctor Strange when wrapped around his iconic red cloak. Since their first meeting, Strange and the Cloak of Levitation have become inseparable. It not only gives him a more unique, more powerful appearance, but the cloak itself has abilities that make it a great assistant to Strange. With that said, here are 10 things every Marvel fan should know about Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation.
10 10. Feeling blue
Believe it or not, Stephen Strange's first interaction with the Cloak of Levitation is different to what many people assume. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but simply because it isn't really THE Cloak of Levitation we all know. His first long-flowing cape was not red but was instead a floating, 100% navy blue accessory.
Officially dubbed the "Lesser Cloak of Levitation," Doctor Strange originally used this item to get around, before switching to his present look. It is lesser for a reason, as it offers fewer abilities to the user and is shown to be less powerful. Thankfully, as nice as it looks on Stephen Strange (and it does look nice), it took only a few months for Marvel Comics to come up with a more suitable, red replacement.
9 9. First appearance
Following on from the previous entry, the iconic red cloak first appeared in 1964, in an issue of Strange Tales. Marvel's famous anthology series from the past acted as an introduction to a few famous heroes, including Doctor Strange himself, before placing them in the main Marvel universe. In Strange Tales #127, Doctor Strange travels to the Dark Dimension to battle Dormammu.
Strange ends up helping the evil entity combat the Mindless Ones, a group of powerful senseless creatures that were created only for the purpose of destruction. After they succeed in defeating them, Dormammu thanks his foe and agrees to stay away from Earth. When Doctor Strange returns to the soil, the Ancient One rewards him with a new Cloak of Levitation.
8 8. Powers
The Cloak of Levitation is an essential part of Doctor Strange's paraphernalia. Not (only) because it makes him look cool, but mainly because it enhances his powers or, in some cases, provides the user with new abilities. The most obvious, yet essential ones, are the powers of flight, floatation, and superspeed. In a way, it is used many times as some sort of super magic-fueled jetpack.
Ever since the movie came out, jokes have been made about a potential meet-up between Strange's Cloak and Aladdin's magic carpet. What many people may not know is that the superhero has actually used the Cloak as a magic carpet to travel around, something that was very probably influenced by the story of Prince Ali. Make it happen, Disney.
7 7. De-cloaked
As powerful as the Cloak of Levitation is, it is by no means invincible. Throughout its history, the cloak has been destroyed and subsequently restored more than one would expect. In Strange Tales #157, Doctor Strange came across Zom, a giant ancient being that, just like the previously mentioned Mindless Ones, had been "created to destroy".
While battling the giant, Strange's cloak got caught on one of Zom's fists mid-flight and was quickly ripped and burnt by the destroyer. Luckily, in an attempt to prove to the Living Tribunal that he was qualified to set things right after his failure to stop Zom, he managed to repair the Cloak of Levitation back to its previous form.
6 6. Alternate versions
There are thousands of objects and characters that belong to the primary Marvel Comics universe. However, like anything at Marvel, countless versions of said object or character start popping up in different alternate worlds. The Cloak of Levitation is no exception. One popular story involves a future universe on the brink of extinction, ruled by an elderly, yet more powerful, version of the Hulk.
Banner's life-long friend Rick Jones has a museum of powerful items in his home. One day, he is visited by an evil version of himself named Thanatos, who plans to become the ultimate Rick Jones, and so steals the Cloak of Levitation. Thankfully, it all works out in the end. Another version of the cloak saw it being used by Thanos to give Doctor Strange a very ironic death by hanging.
5 5. RIP Cloak (again)
This piece of outerwear really can't catch a break. After its first initial destruction and subsequent restoration, it lived happily around Stephen Strange's neck for many years. That is until it came up against the Empirikul. An army of robots, who travel through different dimensions with the sole objective of killing every single magic-user in existence.
Unfortunately, the Master of the Mystic Arts was outmatched by the sudden inter-dimensional attack. After an evenly fought battle between Strange and the Emperikul leader, Imperator, the latter ended up defeating the sorcerer as his hands tore up the Cloak of Levitation. Doctor Strange barely made it out alive. However, he still managed to take a fragment of the cloak with him.
4 4. Weaponized
Besides giving Doctor Strange a useful set of new abilities, the cloak itself is sometimes enough to help the hero best his enemies. Strange doesn't have Cap's vibranium shield at hand, but the cloak serves as a worthy replacement, as it wraps itself around the Doctor and gives him plenty of protection.
In addition to this, the cloak can also serve as a weapon, capable of trapping and even physically harming foes. When it isn't shielding its master or taking down baddies, the cloak is saving the sorcerer's life. In moments of peril, the cloak shows its ability to change in size so it can, for example, hang on to a nearby ledge in true Spider-Man style, instead of letting Strange fall to his death.
3 3. Comics vs movies
Benedict Cumberbatch has portrayed Doctor Strange four times as of 2019, and in every instance, a live-action Cloak of Levitation is present. However, like most Marvel properties, there are differences between what's printed in ink and shown on screen. The most notable inconsistency is the cloak's autonomous behavior.
While the comics have shown the item of clothing moving around freely, it usually always obeys Strange's commands, and so doesn't exactly act out of its own free will. The MCU, on the other hand, has happily shown just how alive the cloak is. Between messing around with its master, transporting an unconscious Strange through the streets of New York, and having comical reactions to conversations between Avengers, Cumberbatch's Cloak of Levitation clearly has a mind of its own.
2 2. Cloak of Mischief
Following Doctor Strange's defeat at the hands of the Empirikul, he retired from his role as Sorcerer Supreme and decided to spend his time as a veterinarian. Meanwhile, with Earth now unprotected, someone had to step up and become Strange's successor. However, no one excepted the God of Mischief to take on the role. Yet, it was Loki who became the self-proclaimed Sorcerer Supreme.
But even he knows that the Cloak of Levitation is an essential part of the job. He, therefore, gathered every single tattered rag of the cloak that had been ripped apart by the Imperator and reconstructed it using Asgardian thread and his new-found sewing ability. The stitchings are clearly visible, but the Cloak of Levitation returned to life once again.
1 1. Shape-shifter
The Cloak of Levitation can fly. It enables the user to reach supersonic speeds. It acts as a shield and also as a weapon. Its ability to change in size has also been mentioned. Yet throughout all this, it always retains its classic red and gold look. Or so we thought. It turns out the Cloak of Levitation hasn't always been...a cloak. There were two clear instances where Doctor Strange waltzed into the comics sporting a very different attire.
When the sorcerer decided to create a new, stronger power forge for himself, he reemerged in a transformed state, looking like some kind of magic ninja, with his cloak turned into something resembling a kimono. Another instance saw Strange forced to replace his cloak with a different garment. He fused the cloak into a trench coat and created the "Overcoat of Levitation."